Oh you are right. I had to install Big World for the very first time because my SCS had stopped working. So I botched the job by installing recommended settings, not realizing it installs a ton of mods without asking. Have to redo my installation now.
Su´kka is desperatlly trying to make Quarterstaffs work. Has anyone tested this out extensivly?
I think it's fair to say I have played around with initiative 'extensively' . Who gets the first strike in a combat depends on: 1) who has the lower weapon speed. 2) a random initiative roll. If your weapon speed is enough lower then you will always attack first as I reckon the difference in initiative is no more than 3, but if weapon speeds are comparable you can't guarantee you will hit first. If enemies only have APR of 1 you can pretty much guarantee they never attack (even if they have a better weapon speed) by letting them start an attack round, then retreating before their actual attack (wasting their attack for the round) and coming back in to attack yourself, but that doesn't work well when enemies have multiple attacks per round.
Using a staff will give you a fractional advantage due to the longer reach, but the effect will be small compared to the weapon speed - you really need to ensure this is 0 if you want to try this type of method. That's not hard to do with a staff - the +3 staff has a basic weapon speed of 1 and you can reduce that to 0 if you have high mastery. Where you really get the benefit from a 2-handed weapon is finding a choke-point on the map where the enemy can't reach you, but you can reach them!
What you can do to significantly skew combats your way using micro-management against an enemy with a comparable weapon speed is to: - try attacking yourself. If you attack first then should then immediately retreat before the enemy attacks. - if the enemy attacks first then wait for your attack and immediately retreat. If you're quick enough you should be able to get a significant advantage in overall attacks like this. When I'm in that sort of combat I'm pausing the game multiple times per second in order to be able to get this benefit.
Note that after retreating you need to not attack again for at least a full round - if you attack too soon the enemy will still be following their original combat round and you're likely to walk into an instant attack. Against multiple enemies with LoB HPs using micro-management will thus not be a quick fix .
Thanks @Grond0 for the explanation. My little tests came to the same conclusion. Against "slow" enemies it works great but everything else is just a pain as the method is not only unreliable but it takes huge amounts of time to bring an opponent down.
Bow kiting is far more efficient...
High Weapon Mastery is out of reach - damn. I have to restart.... LOL!!!
@Harpagornis, a pip in two-handed weapon style gives a -2 bonus to speed factor, and a second pip another -2 bonus. That should be more than enough for any staff attacks at a speed factor of 0.
@Harpagornis, a pip in two-handed weapon style gives a -2 bonus to speed factor, and a second pip another -2 bonus. That should be more than enough for any staff attacks at a speed factor of 0.
You are damn right @Blackraven but for now i will stick to Longswords and Daggers.
EDIT: The Warrior Skeletons in Durlags Tower are giving Su´kka a hard time - maybe this is the time for good old Quarterstaff!
Yes, from myBlade way back I really like bards. From what I've seen so far, the Jester still works on LoB even tho enemies have higher saves. I got to Level 3 by doing Marls little talk, talking to Noober (any relations Harpargonis? ) and killing a winter wolf. As soon as I reach level 4 and get invis this char shoud be a lot of fun.
Su´kka in the meanwhile has challenged the Four Wardens in Durlags Tower. Holy cow - they are even tougher now than in the vanilla game! Here some shortlist of her tactics against each opponent:
Pride: The "easiest" one - fast and a punch that takes one down in no time. Su´kka kited him down with arrows while buffed up with Oil of Speed and Potion of Power to hit him quite regularly. Missing him too much will allow him to heal up again!
Fear: That one is tough! Endless stuns & each spell will heal this beast. Su´kka tried to melee him but after taking him to wounded she was unable to outheal the incoming damage. After stepping back she fired one Acid Arrow after another - Oil of Speed & Greenstone Amulet are a lifesaver here.
Love: Buffed up with potions and protected by Greenstone Amulet Su´kka went straight in to hack this damn mage to pieces. I was surprised how good this worked. After drinking some healing potions in between this fight was over very quickly. Good to know: Arrows of Dispelling will return and dispel only your own buffs. No need for Elemental Resistances here as he casts "only" lot of CC ´s.
Avarice: This little sucker is a nightmare. Well it would have been for any other Warrior - but not for the Barbarian! Thanks to Anti-Backstab his damage was cut down a lot so all Su´kka had to do was: Buff up with Strength Potion, Oil of Speed, Invulnerabilty Potion, Potion of Power & a Regeneration Potion. Even buffed up and without backstabs he can hurt quite a lot so Su´kka tried to hack this beast down as fast as she could. Worth to remember: He will go invisible over and over again - time Su´kka used to heal up again!
Okay, Su´kka is not far away from Durlags Goblet & Kiels Helmet which will works wonders in SoD!
Hm, sadly the jesters song is not as cheesy as I hoped it would be, Invisibility gets dispelled by it. I will still stay Jester, since mage spells will enable me to survive long enough even while visible, and once the enemies get confused and kill each other the playing field gets smaller.
Congratz Harpa for getting that far, those Wardens are tough.
I've been thinking about the TotSC quests, and while I think Durlag's Tower is doable with a solo mage even on LoB, I'm not sure about the SCS-improved werewolf island. I've beaten them with a solo mage in the original by using bouncing lightning bolts (to overcome the insane regeneration), but lightning doesn't seem to work the same way in the EE.
There's no limit to the number of skull traps you can pile up for the wolves ...
@Victor_Creed_SFV, I like your choice for a Jester. A good pick for a solo Bard. I hope the song will stay at least somewhat effective at higher levels. Good luck! @Harpagornis, well done with the Dwarven warders, one of the hardest battles in Durlag's Tower I think. Good advice. I'm feeling a bit sorry for Su´kka btw, being the only active warrior in this challenge atm, but am glad she's doing very well. @Grond0, sorry about another RL distraction taking its toll.
Kaerl has progressed enough this morning to warrant another update.
We slay Mulahey rather unfairly by Silencing him before he can summon his aides, followed by a wand paralysis. It feels a bit cheap to me. We make up for it with some fairer battles after that.
First there's Nimbul. We summon our skeletal bodyguards and pre-buff. Nimbul's pre-buffs do not include MGoI so Kaerl merrily Malisons, Blinds, and Holds the enemy, leaving him for his skellies. The gnome, still buffed, then enters the inn where he Blinds Neira, paralyzes her, and slays her, dual-wielding his mace and hammer.
Tranzig saves against everything Kaerl throws at him, but clumsily gets himself cornered by three skeletons.
A fatal mistake.
Having read about Frey's audacity in Tazok's tent, we're curious to see how Kaerl will handle himself. He enters invisibly and finds the exact right spot in the tent where Raemon can't see him animate three skeletons.
We add a dire wolf and an ogre with the summoning wand, and cast group PfE. Kaerl pre-buffs and sends two skellies toward Venkt. One stays between him and Britik. Kaerl shows himself and casts a Lower Malison at the warriors. Venkt manages to kill the dire wolf with a Chromatic Orb but is otherwise forced to go on the defensive, trying (and failing) to avoid attacking skeletons and a Stinking Cloud from Kaerl. That spell proves super effective.
A skeleton finishes Venkt. Only Raemon remains a threat, but Kaerl manages to Doom and Blind him. When the Stinking Cloud dissipates Britik is dead but many bandits still get up, and Kaerl uses two more charges of his summoning wand to defeat them.
We can't be bothered with the bandits outside, so we just go invisible and travel to the FAI.
In Cloakwood Kaerl uses Sanctuary to pick up the kid in Centeol's lair and Spider's Bane (which sells for 5500 GP). We also get ambushed by Lamalha. Kaerl is invisible. Weary of web traps, he quaffs a potion of freedom. He then starts casting Animate Dead, just out of the bounty hunters' visual range, but they discover Kaerl just as he finishes his casting.
Kaerl retreats and summons some more aides with his wand to keep the pursuing huntresses off his back. The Gnome Malisons and Blinds Lamalha, but she Holds the two Hobgoblins that are fighting her. Meanwhile an ogre and a skeleton finish Maneira. Zeela and Telka finish the ogre, but Kaerl sends in another skeleton for them to play with. Zeela moves to Lamalha to Cure her Blindness, but to little avail as Kaerl Holds Lamalha. Zeela saves vs spell, but both priestesses are then Silenced by Kaerl.
Telka's weapon breaks, which puts her at a disadvantage that she fails to overcome against our skeleton. Zeela and Lamalha are done in with brute force.
At the Cloakwood mine entrance we're initially engaged only by Drasus and Genthore. To Kaerl's consternation Drasus quaffs a potion of magic shielding, so our usual Doom/Malison + Blindness routine won't be of any use for three turns. We have three pre-summoned Skeletons but they're not strong enough for the two warriors, so we use the monster summoning wand as well. I make a mistake there at some point, fireballing summons and Kaerl himself, wrong wand...
Kaerl finishes Drasus with his sling, and the summons slay Genthore. We also engage Kysus and Genthore, who waste many spells on our summons. The two then split up. We finish Kysus after his MGoI has expired and Kaerl has Silenced him. But we can't find Rezdan anywhere so we leave him be.
In Davaeorn's lair we use two potions of magic protection to survive his traps. (I'm still not sure whether these potions are supposed to stack, but after my previous trouble with potions of magic blocking, I allowed stacking in my current game setup). We have summons and damaging magic deal with the battle horrors one after the other. We hope to make Davaeorn waste his Remove Magic with a swift retreat but fail. This leaves us rather exposed. Once Davaeorn's MGoI has worn off we start fireballing him and his guards, staying mostly out of the enemy's line of sight. Not the most exciting approach, but effective nonetheless, very similar to @chimaera's. Surviving summons distract the Mustard Jelly, so that we can loot the treasure chests. We use the Knock scroll to open the locked chest that contains valuable gems and jewels.
On the way out we're pursued by two guards and Rezdan, and we have no more castings of Invisibility or Sanctuary. They force us to travel to the Wyvern area, but we (finally) get ambushed by Molkar on the way there. With most of our spells depleted, we run from the fight. We rest, and make our way to Baldur's Gate.
Well done everyone - looks like we are making huge progress! Dont feel sorry for me @Blackraven - i like to suffer. But... hhmmmm... i am surprised that Su´kka hasnt suffered at all so far. Looks like Barbarians are far more capable than i thought once.
Looking at the running challenges it makes me wonder that all Thieves have sneaked away. Maybe they are looking for some cheese elsewhere. So if anyone wants to join with a Thief - feel free to do so! Another thing that makes me sad: No Druids around. Are they really so weak? I have such golden memories with my good old Fighter/Druid. Maybe someone wants to try it?
Su´kka has managed to get Kiels Helm (Fear Protection) and Durlags Goblet - the most OP healing item in the realms. Well - nearly. At the moment she is contemplating if she should move on or quit Durlags Tower. I just hate the neverending dungeon creeping there!
Okay, Su´kka moved out of this damn tower after getting Balas Axe on level 3 and the Tome of Understanding from the upper levels. I am sure that she would be able to face the Demon Knight but after doing all of this with Calis & Mordra i am just bored about this Durlag terror. Time to get some more gold and buy the final items before facing Sarevok!
I have given up on my Jester. The Thac0 is too low and the Song does not work as I hoped it would. I will go F/M/T now as initially planned, somebody has to bring the thief cheese. What do you guys think of familiars in BG1/SoD? The imp seems to be pretty strong, can Polymorph self, both Sword Spider and Mustard Jelly seem strong.
@Harpagornis, good luck with the final part of BG1. I hope Kaerl can join him soon in SoD. Would be really cool if we all went through SoD around the same time. So @Grondo, lock your yourself in your computer room, switch off your phone, and focus
@Victor_Creed_SFV, pity the Jester didn't work well. As for the familiars, I agree that the Imp would be a good pick. The Pseudo Dragon is ok for kiting early on. They have ok AC (-2) and of course LoB style HPs (not sure whether their Thac0 is still 13 or improved with LoB). But I think the Imp's Polymorph Self remains useful for a longer time.
I tested it a little and it seems powerful indeed. The jelly is an awesome tank, immune to magic, lightning, pierce and missile, 30 slash res, 60 crush res 50 fire and cold res. Also it retains AC and regen from impform. Spider is poison immune and has a lot of attacks per round (4 or 5) Flind delivers a lot of damage per hit (6-15 + 1 fire). Ofc later on you can buy the spell and transform your prebuffed self *rubs hands* (Not for my F/M/T in BG1 tho XP cap and all )
I have given up on my Jester. The Thac0 is too low and the Song does not work as I hoped it would. I will go F/M/T now as initially planned, somebody has to bring the thief cheese. What do you guys think of familiars in BG1/SoD? The imp seems to be pretty strong, can Polymorph self, both Sword Spider and Mustard Jelly seem strong.
I have already started a full playthrough with Lawful Evil Elf F/M/T and i must say Imp is the most powerful familiar.His Spider form just shreds to pieces everything on its way with 4 attacks per round and poisoning enemies with each succesful attack (no save). Perfect for LoB with SCS.
Since you guys are playing solo and you are probably deep into SoA already,could you please check out something for me? The thing is that in BGEET you can backtrack to BGEE areas from BGEE2. So is it possible to recruit npc's like Kagain and Baeloth?
Sarevok went down. Nothing special about that fight - the usual split+buff+kill while using invisibilty to park Sarevok or the damn Warrior Skeletons in the corners and arrows of dispelling to easen things up. Some drinking of Durlags Goblet in between while tanking Tazok and Sarevok who went down with a mighty 52 damage crit! SoD beware - Su´kka is coming!!!
Hello @Hubal! You are welcome to join the strategies/tactics of your F/M/T here - if you like!
The beautiful thing about thief part of protagonist is that I gave those 40 points in pick pockets and stole Katana and Splint Mail and Composite Longbow. Also I stole medium shield+1 from Sir Trun ( He has chopped off arm so He doesn't need it anyway) Now my AC is 0 so I think thats the best possible start.
Would be really cool if we all went through SoD around the same time. So @Grondo, lock your yourself in your computer room, switch off your phone, and focus ;
Easier said than done, but I have managed to make another start in between working today. Frey has just reached level 7 - this time I've allowed myself the use of resources much earlier and already done the basilisk area rather than grind away at the low value XP areas, so much quicker progress.
Hopefully i can start tomorrow SoD with Su´kka - should be fun. But i must admit that my biggest fear lies within BG2 where i lack good metagame knowledge - SoD is a walk in the park in comparison. Especially with improved creatures i will suffer horribly.
I added @Hubal to the challenger list in the OP - hope this is ok!
Well I am sorry to dissapoint you but I really feel so lonely playing solo in this game. Anyway agb1 told me this should be the thread I should post feedback since game is designed around full party. On the other hand having full party should not be much easier, cause as triple class I will be level 1 one third of bg1. Solo you level up much much quicker. I dont wanna mess your fun guys.
Hopefully i can start tomorrow SoD with Su´kka - should be fun. But i must admit that my biggest fear lies within BG2 where i lack good metagame knowledge - SoD is a walk in the park in comparison. Especially with improved creatures i will suffer horribly.
I added @Hubal to the challenger list in the OP - hope this is ok!
Honestly man, big parts of SoA are much easier than BG1, let alone SoD which is a whole level of its own.
You played BG2 to death as you stated earlier @Victor_Creed_SFV while myself played it only a handful of times - mostly without SCS. We will see. Su´kka has slain Korlasz in the meanwhile: Necklace of Missiles -> Arrow of Dispelling followed by a combination of Detonation and Acid Arrows - GG!
Congratz for a successful start into SoD. Worst of all in BG2 you get a couple of reloads in to get to know thos efights. F/M/T almost feels like cheating compared to Jester I'm kinda glad I switched pretty quickly it would have gotten frustrating tooo quickly.
Since you guys are playing solo and you are probably deep into SoA already,could you please check out something for me? The thing is that in BGEET you can backtrack to BGEE areas from BGEE2. So is it possible to recruit npc's like Kagain and Baeloth?
I've tested this in my EET install. Went with a character from SoD to Beregost to visit Kagain. He was there in his shop for a split second but then he disappeared.
Comments
I had to install Big World for the very first time because my SCS had stopped working.
So I botched the job by installing recommended settings, not realizing it installs a ton of mods without asking.
Have to redo my installation now.
1) who has the lower weapon speed.
2) a random initiative roll.
If your weapon speed is enough lower then you will always attack first as I reckon the difference in initiative is no more than 3, but if weapon speeds are comparable you can't guarantee you will hit first. If enemies only have APR of 1 you can pretty much guarantee they never attack (even if they have a better weapon speed) by letting them start an attack round, then retreating before their actual attack (wasting their attack for the round) and coming back in to attack yourself, but that doesn't work well when enemies have multiple attacks per round.
Using a staff will give you a fractional advantage due to the longer reach, but the effect will be small compared to the weapon speed - you really need to ensure this is 0 if you want to try this type of method. That's not hard to do with a staff - the +3 staff has a basic weapon speed of 1 and you can reduce that to 0 if you have high mastery. Where you really get the benefit from a 2-handed weapon is finding a choke-point on the map where the enemy can't reach you, but you can reach them!
What you can do to significantly skew combats your way using micro-management against an enemy with a comparable weapon speed is to:
- try attacking yourself. If you attack first then should then immediately retreat before the enemy attacks.
- if the enemy attacks first then wait for your attack and immediately retreat.
If you're quick enough you should be able to get a significant advantage in overall attacks like this. When I'm in that sort of combat I'm pausing the game multiple times per second in order to be able to get this benefit.
Note that after retreating you need to not attack again for at least a full round - if you attack too soon the enemy will still be following their original combat round and you're likely to walk into an instant attack. Against multiple enemies with LoB HPs using micro-management will thus not be a quick fix
Bow kiting is far more efficient...
High Weapon Mastery is out of reach - damn. I have to restart.... LOL!!!
EDIT: The Warrior Skeletons in Durlags Tower are giving Su´kka a hard time - maybe this is the time for good old Quarterstaff!
OP will be updated!
From what I've seen so far, the Jester still works on LoB even tho enemies have higher saves.
I got to Level 3 by doing Marls little talk, talking to Noober (any relations Harpargonis?
As soon as I reach level 4 and get invis this char shoud be a lot of fun.
Keep going @Victor_Creed_SFV - the Jester seems a promising choice!
Su´kka in the meanwhile has challenged the Four Wardens in Durlags Tower. Holy cow - they are even tougher now than in the vanilla game! Here some shortlist of her tactics against each opponent:
Pride: The "easiest" one - fast and a punch that takes one down in no time. Su´kka kited him down with arrows while buffed up with Oil of Speed and Potion of Power to hit him quite regularly. Missing him too much will allow him to heal up again!
Fear: That one is tough! Endless stuns & each spell will heal this beast. Su´kka tried to melee him but after taking him to wounded she was unable to outheal the incoming damage. After stepping back she fired one Acid Arrow after another - Oil of Speed & Greenstone Amulet are a lifesaver here.
Love: Buffed up with potions and protected by Greenstone Amulet Su´kka went straight in to hack this damn mage to pieces. I was surprised how good this worked. After drinking some healing potions in between this fight was over very quickly. Good to know: Arrows of Dispelling will return and dispel only your own buffs. No need for Elemental Resistances here as he casts "only" lot of CC ´s.
Avarice: This little sucker is a nightmare. Well it would have been for any other Warrior - but not for the Barbarian! Thanks to Anti-Backstab his damage was cut down a lot so all Su´kka had to do was: Buff up with Strength Potion, Oil of Speed, Invulnerabilty Potion, Potion of Power & a Regeneration Potion. Even buffed up and without backstabs he can hurt quite a lot so Su´kka tried to hack this beast down as fast as she could. Worth to remember: He will go invisible over and over again - time Su´kka used to heal up again!
Okay, Su´kka is not far away from Durlags Goblet & Kiels Helmet which will works wonders in SoD!
I will still stay Jester, since mage spells will enable me to survive long enough even while visible, and once the enemies get confused and kill each other the playing field gets smaller.
Congratz Harpa for getting that far, those Wardens are tough.
@Harpagornis, well done with the Dwarven warders, one of the hardest battles in Durlag's Tower I think. Good advice. I'm feeling a bit sorry for Su´kka btw, being the only active warrior in this challenge atm, but am glad she's doing very well.
@Grond0, sorry about another RL distraction taking its toll.
Kaerl has progressed enough this morning to warrant another update.
We slay Mulahey rather unfairly by Silencing him before he can summon his aides, followed by a wand paralysis. It feels a bit cheap to me. We make up for it with some fairer battles after that.
First there's Nimbul. We summon our skeletal bodyguards and pre-buff. Nimbul's pre-buffs do not include MGoI so Kaerl merrily Malisons, Blinds, and Holds the enemy, leaving him for his skellies. The gnome, still buffed, then enters the inn where he Blinds Neira, paralyzes her, and slays her, dual-wielding his mace and hammer.
Tranzig saves against everything Kaerl throws at him, but clumsily gets himself cornered by three skeletons.
Having read about Frey's audacity in Tazok's tent, we're curious to see how Kaerl will handle himself. He enters invisibly and finds the exact right spot in the tent where Raemon can't see him animate three skeletons.
In Cloakwood Kaerl uses Sanctuary to pick up the kid in Centeol's lair and Spider's Bane (which sells for 5500 GP). We also get ambushed by Lamalha. Kaerl is invisible. Weary of web traps, he quaffs a potion of freedom. He then starts casting Animate Dead, just out of the bounty hunters' visual range, but they discover Kaerl just as he finishes his casting.
At the Cloakwood mine entrance we're initially engaged only by Drasus and Genthore. To Kaerl's consternation Drasus quaffs a potion of magic shielding, so our usual Doom/Malison + Blindness routine won't be of any use for three turns. We have three pre-summoned Skeletons but they're not strong enough for the two warriors, so we use the monster summoning wand as well. I make a mistake there at some point, fireballing summons and Kaerl himself, wrong wand...
In Davaeorn's lair we use two potions of magic protection to survive his traps. (I'm still not sure whether these potions are supposed to stack, but after my previous trouble with potions of magic blocking, I allowed stacking in my current game setup). We have summons and damaging magic deal with the battle horrors one after the other. We hope to make Davaeorn waste his Remove Magic with a swift retreat but fail. This leaves us rather exposed. Once Davaeorn's MGoI has worn off we start fireballing him and his guards, staying mostly out of the enemy's line of sight. Not the most exciting approach, but effective nonetheless, very similar to @chimaera's.
Surviving summons distract the Mustard Jelly, so that we can loot the treasure chests. We use the Knock scroll to open the locked chest that contains valuable gems and jewels.
On the way out we're pursued by two guards and Rezdan, and we have no more castings of Invisibility or Sanctuary. They force us to travel to the Wyvern area, but we (finally) get ambushed by Molkar on the way there. With most of our spells depleted, we run from the fight. We rest, and make our way to Baldur's Gate.
Looking at the running challenges it makes me wonder that all Thieves have sneaked away. Maybe they are looking for some cheese elsewhere. So if anyone wants to join with a Thief - feel free to do so! Another thing that makes me sad: No Druids around. Are they really so weak? I have such golden memories with my good old Fighter/Druid. Maybe someone wants to try it?
Su´kka has managed to get Kiels Helm (Fear Protection) and Durlags Goblet - the most OP healing item in the realms. Well - nearly. At the moment she is contemplating if she should move on or quit Durlags Tower. I just hate the neverending dungeon creeping there!
The Thac0 is too low and the Song does not work as I hoped it would.
I will go F/M/T now as initially planned, somebody has to bring the thief cheese.
What do you guys think of familiars in BG1/SoD?
The imp seems to be pretty strong, can Polymorph self, both Sword Spider and Mustard Jelly seem strong.
@Victor_Creed_SFV, pity the Jester didn't work well. As for the familiars, I agree that the Imp would be a good pick. The Pseudo Dragon is ok for kiting early on. They have ok AC (-2) and of course LoB style HPs (not sure whether their Thac0 is still 13 or improved with LoB). But I think the Imp's Polymorph Self remains useful for a longer time.
The jelly is an awesome tank, immune to magic, lightning, pierce and missile, 30 slash res, 60 crush res 50 fire and cold res. Also it retains AC and regen from impform.
Spider is poison immune and has a lot of attacks per round (4 or 5)
Flind delivers a lot of damage per hit (6-15 + 1 fire).
Ofc later on you can buy the spell and transform your prebuffed self *rubs hands* (Not for my F/M/T in BG1 tho XP cap and all
Since you guys are playing solo and you are probably deep into SoA already,could you please check out something for me?
The thing is that in BGEET you can backtrack to BGEE areas from BGEE2. So is it possible to recruit npc's like Kagain and Baeloth?
Hello @Hubal! You are welcome to join the strategies/tactics of your F/M/T here - if you like!
I added @Hubal to the challenger list in the OP - hope this is ok!
On the other hand having full party should not be much easier, cause as triple class I will be level 1 one third of bg1. Solo you level up much much quicker.
I dont wanna mess your fun guys.
Worst of all in BG2 you get a couple of reloads in to get to know thos efights.
F/M/T almost feels like cheating compared to Jester I'm kinda glad I switched pretty quickly it would have gotten frustrating tooo quickly.